Michael Franks Quotes

As singers, we're always taught to sing forward and place everything in the front of our resonating chambers. Donna Summer always sang in that space and had it naturally. Her muscle memory, the way she was built - she was a natural singer.

For singers, our singing voice is our natural voice, not the speaking.

My own singing voice is not very good and I don't think that anybody really sings in their own voice.

You have to get to know your voice and its strengths and play on those. It took me quite a long time.

The human voice is the most perfect instrument of all.

The better voice doesn't mean being a better singer.

Vocally, I have learned to find my strength, and my voice has developed a lot since 'Be Here.' I learned to sing with all of my body.

My singing voice isn't like my speaking voice.

The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play.

I think I'm a vocal genius, not a musical genius. I like background vocals. I consider myself a voice, not a singer. A voice is a sound, and singing is what you do with that sound.

Maybe I was just born with a little bit of vocals or natural talent, but I feel like I taught myself. I just started taking vocal lessons to just work on my breathing, my vowels and stuff.

I love singing with my mouth open. And I'm actually able to sing even better that way.

I don't push my voice; I try to keep a good technique, a natural way of singing, to sing from the breath, which is the main thing.

It takes a big voice a long time to develop properly; the bigger it is, the harder it is to develop the technique.

I'm under no illusion. There are lots of male singers out there with raspy voices.

I've never had a very quiet voice. I tried in choir to make it smaller, and it just didn't work out. And I listened to a lot of soul music when I was growing up on my own accord. But I was mostly into Mama Cass and Gladys Knight, and they all had big voices too; just different than mine.

You know, your speaking voice comes back, but your singing voice you use in a different way.

I just wanted to show people - maybe I'm wrong - that I can still really sing. I can sing better than I ever have before. My intonation is way better, my timing, my phrasing - there's a lot more expression; I feel it's a more lived-in, soulful voice.

I thought everybody had falsetto. And since I wasn't a schooled singer who studied with anybody, I just thought anybody who had a voice could do anything they wanted with their voice.

I think the voice is an underrated instrument these days and it's easy to make up for lack of ability with effects. I think sometimes people are more wowed with effects than core craftsmanship. Strong voices are not as common as they used to be.

I really have shaken hands with where my voice is right now. I think it's got a little deeper; it's got some more grooves in it.

I use my voice as an instrument.

I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its limitations, but I'm learning different ways to keep it alive.

Speech lessons probably did more for my singing voice - they teach you breathing, resonance.

I want to sing like Aretha Franklin. Before her I wanted the technical ability of Ella Fitzgerald.